Favorites look strong in VFCC basketball

By For 21st Century Media

Monday, June 24, 2013

CHARLESTOWN - After two weeks of play in the 2013 season of the Valley Forge Christian College Men’s Basketball Summer League, sponsored by Embassy Suites Philadelphia - Valley Forge and Miller Flooring Company, Bella Napoli Pizzeria has established itself as one of the favorites to again win the league. Bella Napoli Pizzeria is currently sitting atop the leader board at 3-0.

Chris Meszaros of Countryside Realty has notched two wins on the season along with Metro Med Inc., and Phoenixville Federal Bank and Trust. Dave Hoffman’s Auto Repair, Mishock Physical Therapy and Bistro on Bridge all sit at 2-2 while Crown Trophy and Integrated Promotions are both searching for a win.

League games are played every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights with the first game tip-off at 7 p.m. at the VFCC “Pit” Gymansium.

Mishock Physical Therapy 77, Bistro on Bridge 68: After trading baskets to start the game, Bistro and Mishock played a fast-paced and evenly matched game. Thanks to a 22-8 run late in the first half, Mishock took a seven-point halftime lead. Mishock carried the lead well into the second half until Bistro captain Eric Burnett hit a long 3-point field goal just before the midpoint of the second half go give his team the lead. Mishock powered back to win the contest. VFCC graduate Michael Stum paced Mishock with a game-high 22 points, followed by current VFCC player Kevin Mack (20) and VFCC product Latrell Alford (18). Will Furey led Bistro on Bridge with 17 points, followed by Justyn Mitchell with 16.

Dave Hoffman’s Auto Repair, Inc. 76, Integrated Promotions 68: Dave Hoffman’s controlled the first half, but Integrated Promotions was never out of reach until the waning minutes of the first half. After a nine-point halftime deficit, Integrated Promotions opened the second half on a 13-4 run that would close the gap to two points, but that was as close as the team would get. Dave Hoffman’s Auto opened the lead back up and coasted to victory. Jon Crabtree finished with a season-high 21 points for Dave Hoffman’s, followed by Matt King (19) in his season opener while Dominic Farello (12) and Dan Delcont (10) rounded out the scoring. Greg Peters of Integrated Promotions topped all scorers with 22 while Zach Wise finished with 12.

June 19Dave Hoffman’s Auto Repair, Inc. 66, Chris Meszaros of Countryside Realty 59: After a slow start, this game turned into the most exciting contest of the season thus far. A combination of solid defense and both teams having a hard time finding the bottom of the net to start kept the scoring low in the first half. Countryside Realty held a slim four-point advantage at the half. Dave Hoffman’s oopened the second half on a 15-5 scoring run to retake the lead.

After trading baskets and the lead for the majority of the second half, Dave Hoffman’s opened its lead with a late scoring run. Countryside cut the deficit to two points in the waning moments, but Dave Hoffman’s hit its free throws down the stretch to seal the verdict.

Dan Delcont of Dave Hoffman’s led all scorer with 16 points, including some key free throws that totaled 12-for-15 for the night. Jon Crabtree and Matt King each finished with 14 points. For Countryside Realty, the majority of the scoring came from three players: captain Andrew Meszaros, Nick Quigley and Ross Reber, who each canned 15 points.

Bella Napoli Pizzeria 63, Metro Med 51: Metro Med started fast and gave Bella Napoli everytghing it scould handle in the first half, leading by as many as eight points before taking a one-point lead into the break. Bella Napoli came back strong in the second half and outscored Metro Med 35-21 to remain undefeated. Tai Crutchfield continued his hot streak and finished with a game-high 23 points for Bella Napoli. Crutchfield is the league’s leading scorer through the third week. Lou Dominique paced Metro Med with 16 markers.

June 20Bistro on Bridge 73, Phoenixville Federal Bank and Trust 65: Bistro on Bridge held a 10-point lead through most of the first half and controlled the rebounding at both ends of the court. Phoenixville Federal Bank, however, shot exceptionally well from the field and went into halftime down by just three points.

After a seesaw second half, Bistro opened a slight lead with just under five minutes to play. Bisto made its foul shots and held on for the win. Will Furgey led Bistro with a season-high 21 points, followed by Jimmy Conolley and Justyn Mitchell with 18 and 17, respectively. Jeff DeSantis led Phoenixville Federal with 17 counters in his season debut, and T.J. Klinger followed up with 16.

Chris Meszaros of Countryside Realty 57, Mishock Physical Therapy 56: This contest featured two evenly matched teams and an exceptionally fast pace. Both teams pressed well on defense and pushed the ball up and down the court. Mishock opened a decent lead midway through the first half, thanks to a 14-2 run, and led by seven points at the break.

The second half was just as competitive as the teams battled back and forth. Countryside Realty tied the game with just under two minutes to play, but Mishock PT regained the lead and led by one point with 20 seconds left. Countryside Realty drove down the court and made a contested layup to take the lead for good. A last-second attempt by Mishock PT would not fall.

Countryside Realty ffeatured balanced scoring with Nick Quigley leading the way with 19 points. Mishock PT’s Latrell Alford paced all scorers with a season-high 28 points.